


A Dose of Respite

by darling_pet



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Breaks, Comfort, Established Relationship, Exhaustion, F/M, Ficlet, Massage, One Shot, Reader-Insert, Relaxation, Sleep Deprivation, Studying, Work, Worry, tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darling_pet/pseuds/darling_pet
Summary: You’ve been overworking yourself lately with coursework and Team Flash duties. H.R. is worried about you and gets you to take a nice break.





	A Dose of Respite

**Author's Note:**

> This was a “reward” story for Tumblr user @letyourimaginationrun who is working so hard in her studies and assignments. This goes out to all you hard working students! Keep up the great work!

You’d think you were cousins with a beaver with how much you were gnawing on your pencil. There were bite marks all over. It never stood a chance against your anxiety.

Your course work had grown tenfold in recent weeks. Damn your professors! You were going to work yourself to a fine dust if you kept up like this - staying up all night, many nights in a row. You were burning the candle at both ends, but in your mind, it was all worth it for the end result.

Of course, you would conduct a lot of your studies at S.T.A.R. Labs, needing to be close in case you were needed. Team Flash would constantly insist you go home to study and forget about the Savitar debacle for now, but _hell no._ There was no freaking way you were going to abandon your team when things were dire. You could do both…

_Right?_

Currently, it’s one in the morning and you are alone in the Cortex. You rest your chin in your palm, trying not to let the looming idea of sleep consume you. This assignment is so close to being finished and you are… maybe… possibly… falling asl-

“(Y/N)?” comes a voice, startling you.

“Huh? What? Atoms and electrons!”

H.R. pops into view with a horribly worried look on his face. That’s the thing about your boyfriend - you can read his emotions like an open book. Damn it, like those chapters of the book you need to read for class! You scramble to search your bag for the book and flip wildly through the pages.

“Are you-?”

“-I WISH I COULD SPEED READ LIKE BARRY WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PAGES-?” H.R. snatches the book from your hands and you panic at the loss. He shushes you, which actually calms you down a tiny bit.

“What are you doing?” you ask.

“You need a dose of respite, ma chérie,” he states.

“I-I don’t. What I _need_ is to finish my work!”

“You look like Casper the Hostile Ghost!”

“Don’t you mean… never mind.”

“Come with me,” H.R. insists, taking your hand in his and tugging a little to get you to leave with him.

“I can’t right now-”

“You can and you will!” At that, your jovial boyfriend picks you up in his arms (which happen to be on display thanks to his well-fitted T-shirt).

“What are you doing?!” you shout. “H.R. put me down!”

He doesn’t answer back and continues to haul your ass back to his bedroom where he sets you down on his bed. He scoots around behind you and begins to massage your shoulders.

_Oh. That actually… feels really good._

His hands are like magic, but of course, you already knew that. Your shoulders move a bit at his touch.

“There, now isn’t that better?” he asks.

“Mmm…”

H.R. peeks around to examine your face. You look so incredibly tired but are clearly revelling in his massage. He runs his hands down your arms then leads you to lie back with him in bed. _So that’s what a pillow feels like._ You had almost forgotten.

The author then takes you in his arms, holding you against his body as he starts to run his fingers through your hair. He knows you like it when he does this. It helps you relax all the more, humming your contentment.

“That feels nice, baby,” you mumble into his chest, “but I need to get back to work…”

“Shhh,” he hushes you. “It can all wait for one night. Just be here with me, okay?” H.R.’s other hand rubs little circles on the top part of your hand.

“Well… mmm…”

He really knows how to make you feel comfortable. Maybe a little too comfortable. You give a huge yawn. The last thing you feel is a sweet kiss to your forehead and a voice saying, “I love you, Kitten,” before sleep takes you at last.


End file.
